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Trump Walks Out of Shutdown Talks, Calls Them ‘Total Waste of Time’

Emergency declaration by president to get money for the wall—shifted from the Pentagon—gains traction as an option

Wednesday's meeting between President Trump and prominent Democrat lawmakers to end the partial government shutdown ended abruptly when the president walked out of the room after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said she wouldn't budge on agreeing to fund a border wall. Photo: Reuters

As negotiations to end a partial government shutdown broke down Wednesday, White House officials said an increasingly likely option is for President Trump to declare a national emergency over border security and try to use Pentagon funds to pay for construction of a wall or other barrier on the U.S.-Mexico border.

If the White House goes that route, House Democrats, who now hold a majority in the chamber, have vowed to immediately challenge it in court.